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(Np Model.) 3 Sheets-Sheet 1.

. P. v. JANKO.

KEYBOARD FOR MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS. No. 474,016. Patented May 3, 1892.

@ WITNESSES.

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(No Model.) 3 She etsSheet 2.

P. v. JANKO. KEYBOARD FOR MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS. No. 474,016. Patented May3, 1892.

' WITNESSES: INVENTOI? By f 6. 46.414;

fie ATTORNEYS.

(No Model.) I .3 Sheets-Sheet a.

P. v. JANKO. KEYBOARD FOR MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS. No. 474,016. Patented May3, 1892.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

PAUL V. JANKO, OF BUDA-PESTII, AUSTRIA-HUNGARY.

KEYBOARD FOR MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent N 0. 474,016, dated May 3,1892.

Application filed May 18, 1891. Serial No. 393,086. (No model.)

. To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, PAUL VON JANKO, a resident of Buda-Pesth,Austria-Hungary, have invented an Improved Keyboard for MusicalInstruments, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to improvements on the keyboard which isdescribed in my patent, No. 360,255, of March 29, 1887; and it consistsof the various novel details and arrangements of parts that arehereinafter more fully specified and claimed.

Reference is made to the accompanying drawings, in which-- Figure 1represents a plan or top view of my improved keyboard, parts of whichare broken away. Fig. 2 is across-section of the keyboard on the line 22, Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a longitudinal section 011 the line 3 3, Fig. 2.Figs. 4 and 5 represent side views of modified forms of the key-lever.Fig. 6 is a perspective View of a portion of the key-lever, showing oneof the touch-plates. Fig. 7 is a top view of the outer end of thekey-lever. Fig. 8 is a side view of a key-lever, the adjoining partsbeing represented in section.

The letter A represents the main frame, in which my improved keyboard issupported. The same is by preference made in the form of a drawer, whichmay be Withdrawn from the instrument, together with all the keys, sothat it could be substituted for or by a keyboard of other construction.This drawer or frame Acarries a bridge 13, on which the keylevers O arepivotally supported, preferably by means of upwardly-projecting pins a,which project from the bridge B through apertures in thekey-levers. Thedrawer or frame A also supports a rest D, on which the weighted innerends of the key-levers are supported in their normal position. Theshanks of the key-levers O in the preferred form extend downwardly fromthepivotalsupport on thebridge B toward the front. This isclearlyindicated by the portion I) of the key-lever which is representedin Fig. 2. The outer end of the key-lever is stepshaped or otherwiseconstructed to support the three touch-plates d of at varyin g heights.It will be seen by reference to the line g g in Fig. 2, which is drawnon the plane of the pivotal support 011 the key-lever, that said pivotalsupport is at a height above the plane of the lower touch-plate f. Ifind this location of the pivotal support to be an important advantage,because it enables the player to move the key-lever downward by asubstantially vertical stroke. Fig. 4 illustrates in principle what Ihere mean to express. It shows in dotted lines a lower pivotal supportsuch as my former patent would lead to and in full lines the elevatedpivotal support, and it shows by the dotted arrows 7L that the playerwould have to draw his fingers downward and forward in playing theinstrument with the lowered pivotal support, while the arrows iin thesame figure indicate that with the elevated pivotal support he can movethe fingers in a substantially vertical line while playing.

The front or outer portions of the key-lovers are in their movementsguided on the usual guide-pins j; but with an instrument having severaltouch-plates to each lever I find it necessary to supply furtherguidance to prevent wabbling of the keys. To this end I place upon theupper edge of each key-lever another guide-pin Z, which passes throughapertures in a perforated stationary board m, (see also Fig. 1) andwhich greatly assists in furnishing proper guidance to the key-leversand in avoiding lateral play thereof. This perforated board on should,as Fig. 2 indicates, be covered by a fixed rail 92.. Now this fixed rail02 is substantially horizontal, as indicated in Fig. 2, (it is alsorepresented in Fig. 8,) and its upper face is on a substantial levelwith the upper faces of the uppermosttouch-plates d of the keyboard.This is a great advantage over a rail which extends vertically againstthe rear faces of the uppermost touchplates and which therefore would beliable to cramp the finger ends of the player and to be struck by them,causing more or less pain and inconvenience; but by placing the rail aon a level substantially with the level of the upper touch plates allinconvenince of that character is avoided. I also find that a keyleverhaving the general step-shaped form and the series of touch-platesplaced alongside of another key-lever having the touch-plates breakingjoints with those of the first is liable to hurt and pinch the fingers,as the depressed touch-plate entering below the level of the undepressedtouch-plate above it will in raising catch the finger below theundepressed touchfront of the step of the key-lever they may be extendedback, as in Figs. 2 and 3, so as to reach wholly under the respectivetouchplates.

Having now described my invention, what I claim is- 1. The key-lever 0,having series of touchplates d efat different heights, combined with apivotal support B, all arranged so that the pivotal support of thekey-lever shall be lower than the plane of the upper touch-plate of saidkey-lever, substantially as herein shown and described.

2. The frame or drawer A, having the bridge B, combined with key-leversC 0, said keylevers having touch-plates d e f at different elevations,the .top of the bridge B being higher than the plane of the lowertouchplatef and lower than the plane of the upper touch-plate d,substantially as and for the purpose herein shown and described.

3. The key-lever C, having step-shaped front or outer portion and seriesof touchplates (1 8 fat varying elevations, and provided with therearwardly and upwardly inclining shank Z), so arranged that the pivotof said key-lever may be higher than the plane of the lower touch-platef, substantially as and for the purpose specified.

4. The key-lever 0, having series of touchplates (Z a fat varyingelevations and pivoted to a fixed support, all arranged so that eachtouch-plate will have its front portion above the plane of the pivotalsupport, substantially as herein shown and described.

5. The key-lever 0, having series of touchplates d e f at Varyingelevations, each touchplate having a downwardly-extending apron orshield 0, substantially as and for the purpose specified.

6. The key-lever O, having touclrplates (Z c f at varying degrees ofelevation, and combined with the fixed guide-pin j, and with the movableguide-pin Z and guide-board m, substantially as and for the purposespecified.

7. In a keyboard having series of key-levers (J and step-shapedtouch-plates (Z c f, arranged substantially as described, thecombination of said key-levers with the rear rail 02, whose uppersurface is substantially on a level with the uppermost row oftouch-plates cl, substantially as and for the purpose herein shown anddescribed.

The foregoing specification of myimprovcd keyboard signed by me this 1stday of May, 1891.

PAUL V. .TANKO.

l/Vitnesses:

WINTHORNE SCRUPLIUS, EMIL K. WINKLER.

